


Come Back Home

by amberxwrites



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Fluffy and angsty, M/M, a cute story for my boys, and sean forgives him, but he means well, cass is a bitch cause i don’t like her, daniel ditches sean straight away, daniel is still a little shit, daniel wants to be the centre of attention, death and depression, esteban deserved better, finn is immediately in love with sean, finn tries to help sean but gets it all wrong, had to kill off my husband esteban, hannah is much nicer than cass, my bby finn is damaged, sean gradually pines after him, sean tries to help him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:34:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27664096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberxwrites/pseuds/amberxwrites
Summary: 🎶I can't let you go,So when you're ready,Come back home🎶~~~"You think, if things were different, we would've found each other?"He gave me a sidelong glance. "I dunno Sean. You think a different situation would've brought you here?"I shrugged. "Maybe not. But perhaps you would've somehow found your way to Seattle.""I doubt that, darling. Good things like that don't happen to people like me.""Hey." I said softly, leaning forward to place a hand on his knee. He looked down at it with a hint of a smile. "Don't be like that. Good things will come your way. You just have to be patient enough to wait for them.""That's wise, sweetheart." He chuckled, meeting my gaze. "Any other words of advice?""Just one." I smiled. "Love yourself."
Relationships: Cassidy & Sean Diaz, Daniel Diaz & Chris Eriksen, Daniel Diaz & Finn, Daniel Diaz & Sean Diaz, Esteban Diaz/Sean Diaz, Sean Diaz & Anders, Sean Diaz & Hannah, Sean Diaz & Ingrid, Sean Diaz & Jacob, Sean Diaz & Joey, Sean Diaz & Penny, Sean Diaz/Finn
Comments: 10
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> song used - come back home by calum scott :)

17th October 2019

Today was the beginning of tragedy. I saw the worst thing I could have possibly asked to see and now Daniel and I are alone.

Everything has gone wrong and I have no idea how long I'm gonna be able to keep it from Daniel before he gets sick of the lies.

I don't have a plan. Not just yet. I guess we'll just see where the road takes us.


	2. Chapter 2

Autumn was a beautiful time of year. The warm sun shone through the trees as leaves fell to the floor in different shades of red and brown. Autumn had a nice atmosphere to it. I loved to take long walks in autumn. It calmed me down. Helped me to relax.

Unsurprisingly, I was anything but relaxed as I practically dragged my little brother down the narrow, dirt-covered path I had found across from the local park. He complained the whole way and I didn't blame him. I'd be moaning too if I wasn't the one in charge. But I was the eldest and I was the only one who knew what had happened, so I didn't have time to whine about how unfair it was. I just had to suck it up and find Daniel somewhere safe to stay for the night.

"You still haven't told me where we're going Sean." He repeated for the fiftieth time. I rolled my eyes, keeping a tight grip on his wrist as we continued our stride.

"I told you I can't." I sighed.

"Where's Dad? Why isn't he coming with us?"

I let go of his arm, turning to look into his confusion-filled eyes. I softened my gaze, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I promise this will all be worth it in the end. I can't tell you where we're going cause I don't know that myself. But what I do know is that you're going to regret turning back now. What waits ahead of us is better than what would've happened to us if we stayed. Dad couldn't come with us. He had to stay behind."

"When will we see him again?" He asked.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to steady my breathing so that he didn't get suspicious.

"We'll see him soon." I lied.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

It's best he doesn't know the truth.

~~~

When we had officially ran out of energy and had no other choice but to stop and rest, we arrived at a service station by the side of the long road we had been heading down. I checked my wallet, thankful that I had grabbed enough money from the jar to afford us both a snack. We'd have to find somewhere to stay soon though as I didn't have enough to feed us for more than three nights.

"Sean, please let me get a Choc'o'Crisp bar. Please?" Daniel begged, shoving the treat in my face. It was quite cheap and I couldn't say no to his hopeful face.

"Fine, but make sure you grab yourself a sandwich or something too. You're not gonna survive on just a chocolate bar."

"You're the best!" He grinned, wrapping his arms around my torso in a chaste hug before running to the counter, stopping himself and turning back once he remembered what I had said about getting some proper food as well.

I let out a huff of a laugh, grabbing myself a bottle of water and a sausage roll, using a quarter of our money to pay for the items. It was worth it though just to see Daniel content for the night.

"Here." I spoke, pulling the sleeping bag out of my backpack and passing it to him. "Make yourself comfortable. We're staying here tonight."

We settled down on the hard concrete floor behind the shop we had bought our dinner from. I had given Daniel the only sleeping bag so I was cuddling into myself with a thin blanket thrown over my shoulders. We ate in silence, Daniel constantly sending me worried looks.

"Are you sure you're okay with just a blanket?" He questioned, concern laced in his voice. "We can share the sleeping bag if you want."

"I'm fine Daniel. You just get comfortable. Don't worry about me. I'm a big boy. I'll survive."

He still didn't look convinced but let it go nonetheless. The truth is, I would've loved to share the sleeping bag with him, but I wanted him to have a good nights sleep. That would have been impossible if he was forced into an awkwardly close space with his brother.

So I curled up in a ball, tightening the thin material around me and tried to get to sleep, ignoring how cold I actually was.

~~~

Of course I knew we shouldn't have slept on someone else's property, but I never thought we would be woken up by two police men, angry glares on their faces as they observed the two young boys crouched against the back of a service store.

"What are you rascals doing here? You know you're not supposed to camp out here?" queried a guy who looked as though he was in his fifties, with a bushy grey beard and piercing green eyes.

"I'm sorry sir. We were just-"

"I don't need your pathetic excuses. My partner here is already close to finding out who you are. We'll make sure you get back to where you belong." He explained, an almost threatening tone in his voice. I knew it was probably best to let the police take care of us, but I knew exactly where we would end up. Whatever lied ahead would evidently be better than where these men would take us.

That's why I grabbed Daniel’s hand the moment the officers turned their backs, signalling him to run with me. He obliged without a word, sensing this wasn't the best time for questions. We legged it away from the two men, hearing them shout for us to turn back as soon as we were far away enough to outrun them. I heard the sirens getting closer, assuming they had called for help. I panicked, hastily searching the perimeter for any means of escape.

Turns out I didn't have to worry for long as some random guy came out of nowhere, jogging up to us when he saw our scared expressions.

"The cops after you?" He checked. I nodded and he let out a breath, looking over my shoulder to see how much time we had to run. They seemed to be closer than I thought as he was quick to drag us to the side of the road, running with us through the trees until we reached a small gap in the fence that we hadn't spotted before as it was hidden behind a shockingly leafy bush, given it was was autumn and the leaves should have started to fall by now.

"Take the little one through there and run. You'll reach a cabin that belongs to the park ranger. Go right from there and you should find a footpath you can follow. It leads back to the main roads. I'll make sure the police look elsewhere and you'll have time to escape."

"Okay, thank you." I smiled gratefully at the stranger. He was a moderately tall guy who looked as though he was the same age as me. I hadn't had time to fully look him over, but I did notice his experienced blue eyes and the brown matted dreadlocks that hung effortlessly styled but messy past his ears. I also noticed how he had big black ear tunnels and a septum ring in his nose, as well as multiple tattoos on his face, the most memorable ones being a line of three triangles under his left eye and a line running straight down his chin. His clothes were scruffy and he looked as though he had been sleeping rough a lot longer than we had.

"Sean, we need to get out of here. Come on!"

I shook the helpful stranger out of my thoughts and followed my brother in the direction he had told us to run.


	3. Chapter 3

17th October 2019

First day out in the wild and we've already been chased by the police.

We were luckily helped by a kind stranger who seemed to know what he was doing. He ran off after he knew we were safe. I wonder if I'll ever see him again.

He looked like he had been doing the same thing we were, but for much longer. I can't help but wonder what his story is.

I need to forget about him. Daniel is my only concern. We need to find a semi permanent place to stay unless we want a repeat of last night.


	4. Chapter 4

We did exactly what the brunette had told us to do and were back on the move, heading through the woods in a random direction. We were even more disorientated as we were to begin with, lacking the help of the road signs to know where we were.

I felt safer in the woods, the tall trees gathered closely together giving me a sense of protection that the open road failed to provide. It probably should have been more concerning that we were lost in the wild, but I couldn't bring myself to care as I spotted a lake nearby.

"Daniel, look over there. We can stop and get a drink."

I directed him to the water, throwing my backpack on the ground as I took out the water bottle I had bought from the store the night before. I filled it up, downing the whole thing in one go before filling it up again for Daniel, handing him the bottle. I sat down and took in our surroundings. There wasn't much around, just trees and rocks surrounding the lake. The gleaming sun bounced off the surface of the water, all the tension dispersing as I relaxed in the calming atmosphere.

"Can you tell me why we had to run from those men? They were going to help us."

I hoped he wouldn't question the situation, but I saw it coming when he took a seat beside me with a vast amount of questions clearly swimming around in his mind. I let out a deep sigh, resorting to kicking the dirt with my scuffed up trainers as a means of distracting myself from the confused nine year old beside me.

"Believe me, you wouldn't have liked the outcome of that situation." I replied, keeping it as vague as possible.

"Stop avoiding my questions and just answer me. Why are we here? Why won't you let us go home?" The desperation was clear in his voice but I still couldn't give in. The truth would just cause him unnecessary pain. I was just protecting him from the harsh realities of life. He was just a kid. He didn't need to deal with this right now.

"I've told you so many times before. I can't answer you. Why won't you respect that?" I exhaled, feeling myself starting to get annoyed. He wouldn't stop and I was tired of having to lie to him.

"Because you don't respect me enough to be honest with me." He snapped, the crack in his voice only highlighting how much I was hurting him by not telling him the truth. I kept convincing myself that the truth would hurt more and kept my mouth shut. "I always thought you were a shit brother. This just proves it."

"Daniel." I reached out to try and grab his wrist but he was quicker than me, running away from me and towards the lake where he sat by the edge, angrily throwing small rocks and sticks into the water, disrupting the calmness of the place we were in.

I decided to leave him alone for a while, knowing it was best to let him calm down before talking to him. I thought back to what he said as a stray tear fell down my cheek. He was right. I was a shit brother. And a shit son. I should've protected him.

I ran my hands down my face, letting out a shaky breath as I came to terms with the fact that I was purely a waste of space. Daniel would be better off without me.

~~~

We were on the move again a couple hours later, Daniel walking as far away from me as possible. I didn't blame him. He wouldn't let me talk to him to apologise and I understood why. I would be less than willing to hear him out if the tables were turned. I just had to wait it out and see how long he would keep hating me for.

We came across a small hut that obviously wasn't in use much these days. I considered staying there for the night, but decided against it after seeing how rotten and run down the building really was. The wood was moulding and I was pretty sure we would've caught something if we went inside.

So we kept on walking in silence, no sense of direction at all. Maybe we should've followed the direction that boy gave us. We chose not to head back to the main road in fear of a repeat of what had happened that morning. We went in the opposite direction instead, but I was staring to question whether we had made a good decision. Who knows what awaited us on the other side of the woods?

I let the stranger fill my thoughts once again as we crossed an unstable bridge over a narrow stream. Why was he out there and where did he go? Why didn't he come with us? Was he also running from the police? Why did he help us?

I had so many questions that would never get answered and yet I still dwelled on the possibility of seeing him again. It was a one in a million chance as we had gone in opposite directions, but I held onto hope. I didn't understand why I was so infatuated with the boy. He was a stranger. I didn't know him. So why was I so desperate to meet him once more?

"Sean? You there?"

I blinked, facing my brother who was looking up at me with one eyebrow raised. I hadn't comprehended that he was speaking to me, having gotten used to the tense silence between us after our fall out. But I let him pull me out of my thoughts, always putting Daniel first, especially before a random guy I hadn't even properly met.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to say sorry for this morning. I stand by what I said about you being a shit brother, but I hate it when we're not speaking. So for that, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so angry at you and I regret that."

"Daniel, you had every right to be mad at me. I deserved everything you said and you shouldn't be sorry for telling me how you really feel. I'm just sorry that I can't seem to get it right with you. I hurt you no matter what I do and I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry you don't have the brother you deserve."

He didn't speak, but pulled me into a hug to let me know he forgave me. I wrapped my arms around him with a relieved sigh, glad to have my brother back on my side.

"You might not be a good brother, but I wouldn't ask for anyone else."

I smiled down at him, ruffling his hair as a way of saying thank you.

"Also, I think I see a campsite over there."

I looked over to where he was pointing and was relieved to see that it was indeed a campsite. There was a pile of logs in the middle, surrounded by a couple benches with some seemingly homemade tents scattered around. It also seemed to be empty, the people staying here long gone as the tents were almost empty. I scoped the area out, finding it suitable for us to stay for the night.

It was still quite early, but I was shattered. So I quickly fed Daniel with what little food I had in my backpack, deciding that I didn't feel like eating before crawling into a tent, passing out as soon as my head hit the rock hard pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

18th October 2019

Daniel gave me some home truths last night. I deserved it. I need to be a better brother before I lose him for good.

We found a place to stay. It's not the best but it'll do. Better than sleeping rough at a random service station and getting chased off by police.

I hope we'll be okay. I hope Daniel will be okay.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm not sure if I would've preferred being woken up by the police again to what happened the next morning. I was woken up by a loud, feminine shriek. I shot up, opening my eyes to see a young girl around my age staring at me with confusion and disgust in her eyes.

The girl had long, straight purple hair that fell over her left shoulder, several strands wrapped in multicoloured braids. She had black ear tunnels that were similar to the ones worn by the guy we met the day before. Around her neck, she wore two necklaces and she was covered in tattoos.

"What the fuck are you doing in my tent?" She shouted with a southern accent, her hazel eyes glaring accusingly down at me.

"I-I'm sorry. I thought-"

"I don't care about your excuses. Get out of here and never come back!"

I was quick to move, slipping on my trainers and grabbing my backpack before crawling out of the tent, feeling her eyes on me the entire time.

It was only then that I realised I had no idea which tent Daniel had stayed in that night, and there was no way I was leaving without him.

"Daniel?" I called, hoping he'd get the message that we need to leave. Now.

"What are you still doing here?" She hissed.

"I'm waiting for my brother. He stayed here too."

"I don't care about your brother. He'll be fine on his own. I want you gone!"

I was about to shout at her and tell here there was no way I was leaving Daniel on his own, but we were interrupted by another girl with brown hair and matching brown eyes, a number of tattoos scattered across her face. She looked nice. Well, nicer than the other girl at least.

"What is all the screaming about? I'm trying to sleep in. I don't have to go to Merrill’s today and I'd appreciate the lie in."

"This little thief was in my tent." The first girl snapped.

"I'm not a thief!" I defended.

"Yeah? Tell that to the cops."

"We don't need to get the cops involved Cass." The brunette spoke, much to my relief. She faced me, looking me up and down with a frown.

"What's your name?"

"Sean. Sean Diaz." I answered.

"I'm Hannah. This is Cassidy. What are you doing here?"

"My brother Daniel and I needed a place to stay. We stumbled across this campsite and it looked as though nobody lived here anymore." I shakily explained, still scared that they'd call the police on us.

"Well, you thought wrong. We live here, so beat it."

"Calm down Cassidy." Hannah scolded, recieving an eye roll from Cassidy in response. "Where's your brother?"

"I'm not sure exactly. I didn't think to check which tent he was staying in."

"Huh, brother of the year." Cassidy huffed. "Are you seriously thinking of letting these two troublemakers stay here Han?"

"Look at him. He obviously needs our help."

"He's a thief. Just look at him. How can you trust a boy like that?"

"Cause we're all the same. You think a kind stranger would trust us lot if they stumbled across us in need of help? Huh? He's obviously been through shit and needs a place to stay. We have a spare tent so why can't we help a guy out?"

Cassidy pinched the bridge of her nose with an annoyed sigh.

"Fine, but it ain't up to you. If Finn says they can stay, then I guess they can stay."

"Who's Finn?" I asked as Hannah linked her arm through mine, leading me up the path. There was a sign facing this direction which read 'lake' so I assumed that's where we were heading.

"Our best mate. He found this place and kinda saved our asses. We owe our lives to this guy so be nice."

I nodded, spotting two people chatting near a large tree. On closer inspection, I realised it was Daniel talking to who I assumed must have been this Finn guy. He had his back to me so I couldn't take a better look.

"Hey Finn, we got a question for you." Hannah called and the guy spun around. My eyes widened when I saw who it was.

"It's you." I gasped. He smiled at me.

"Yeah, it's me. Believe me, that was my reaction when I bumped into little Daniel this morning. He told me you needed somewhere to stay."

I glanced down at Daniel who wore a huge grin, clearly as excited as me to see the stranger once again.

"Wait, you two know each other?"

"Not properly. I saved these two from the police yesterday when I was on my way to see Merrill. They looked terrified and I know better than anyone what it's like dealing with the cops."

"Our hero." Hannah teased. "That's actually what I came here to ask. Cassidy is reluctant to let them stay after finding him in her tent, but we agreed they could if you said it was alright."

"Hmm." He pretended to think for a moment before breaking into a cheeky smile. "Of course they can. I wouldn't leave my new friends in the dust."

I let out a breath of relief, happy to know that we wouldn't have to take another long hike for a while.

"But on one condition." He continued with a stern look.

"Anything." I wasn't about to argue with him after he gave us a temporary home.

"You start working with us at Merrill’s. We could always use an extra pair of hands and I think you could use the money."

"That's perfectly fine." I couldn't believe this guy had given us a home and a job without question. I'd have to return the favour someday.

He held out his hand for me to shake, using it to pull me into a hug.

"The name's Finn."

"Sean Diaz."

"That's a cute name sweetheart. Your brother is pretty adorable too. We've become the best of friends already."

"Sean, Finn is so cool. You're gonna love him." Daniel exclaimed. I met Finn’s mischievous gaze with a smile.

"I'm sure I will."


	7. Chapter 7

18th October 2019

Finn is amazing. I never thought we'd see him again, nor that he'd be nice enough to provide us with work and a place to crash. He really is a great guy.

Daniel isn't too happy about having to work but he won't argue against it. He's basically in love with Finn now.

I don't blame him. Finn is pretty awesome.


	8. Chapter 8

As Hannah showed Daniel and I around the camp, I could hardly contain my excitement. This was a new start for the both of us, stability in our world of craziness. I was just grateful that they were even giving us a chance. They didn't have to do that, but they did. That shows what good people they really were.

I couldn't wrap my head around why they had given us a chance in the first place. Why would they want to go out of their way to help two homeless kids when they were clearly dealing with issues of their own? What made them want to help us?

"So.. that's about it." Hannah trailed off as we reached our tents. She had made sure we knew exactly were everything was and reassured us it was okay to ask if we ever got confused or lost.

"Thank you for this."

"Don't mention it. Someone had to show you kids around the place." She shrugged.

"No, I mean for everything. You didn't have to let us stay here. You could've sided with Cassidy and sent us away, but you didn't. You and Finn saved us and we owe you."

She smiled. "I'm just happy to help. You kids have obviously been through shit and we'd be hypocrites to send you away when we all come from broken homes. What happened in the past can't be changed. Life is shit and it hurts those who least deserve it, but we'd be just as bad if we didn't help people like ourselves get back on their feet. Don't thank us. Just focus on making things better for yourself for now on."

I nodded. "Thanks again."

She sent us a smile and a wave as she walked back to her own tent, leaving Daniel and I alone for the first time since we arrived.

"So, you think we'll be happy here?" I asked him. He nodded eagerly.

"It's cool to have some friends. Especially super awesome ones like Finn. You know he has a whole collection of knives? He said he'd teach me how to hit a bullseye with one once we get settled in."

"Just be careful, yeah? We don't know these people."

"Are you suggesting they're bad people?" He frowned.

"No, no. That's not what I'm saying. I just mean you should keep an eye out. I don't want you to get hurt."

He rolled his eyes. "We're not alone anymore Sean. You don't have to play the protective big brother role anymore. We have Finn now. And the others. They'll protect us."

I looked down. "But I'm still your brother."

"Yeah, and you always will be. But we're not alone anymore. We don't always have to be glued together."

I closed my eyes, biting my lip to stop myself from saying anything more. "You're right. Go mingle and have some fun enano."

He grinned, running off to find the others. I let out a sigh, quickly wiping my eyes to stop the tears from falling before climbing inside the tent, deciding to pass the time with some peaceful drawing.

~~~

"Hey."

I whipped my head around to see Finn standing behind me, concern etched on his face. It was almost time to go to bed and I had decided to escape for a bit and sit by the river. Things had gotten too much and I needed some quiet time.

I had spent the entire night watching Daniel be glued to Finn's side, hanging onto every word he said as though he was speaking the gospel. He seemed to look up to him more than he had ever looked up to me.

"Hi."

"What's up sweetheart?"

I locked my gaze on a random rock on the floor, dragging the stick I was fiddling with through the dirt.

"Nothing."

"Come on. Don't lie to me. I've met enough liars in my life to know when you're not being honest with me. Tell me what's on your mind."

"You don't know me Finn."

"I know you better than you think."

I raised an eyebrow at him, finally meeting his gaze as he crouched down beside me.

"I've met a lot of people like you, sweetie. Kind, honest people who have been through shit but still want to do best by everyone. You're my favourite kind of people."

I struggled to keep the small smile off my face for a few seconds before replacing it with a common frown, remembering just what I was upset about.

"Please talk to me. I hate seeing you so troubled."

"You can't fix all my problems Finn."

"Maybe not, but I can sure as hell listen to what you need to say. Won't it be good to let one of your demons out to someone who cares?"

I thought over his words. How could he care about someone he's known for about a day? Was it safe to trust him? It sure as hell felt safe.

I found myself talking before I could even comprehend what I was saying. "It's stupid really. It's just that, ever since we left home, I've always tried to do what's best for Daniel. I didn't care what happened to me as long as he was safe and happy. I'm sure as hell not ungrateful. I'm lucky to have that boy in my life. But he doesn't care about what I do for him. If I can't give him what he wants, he hates me for it."

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you-"

"He said I was a shit brother because I couldn't tell him why we can't go home. He said I don't respect him enough to be honest with him, but I'm just trying to protect him. If he knew the truth then he'd surely blame either me or himself, and none of those outcomes can be good. I just don't know how to protect him without him hating me. If he doesn't get what he wants, he doesn't care that I'm giving him what he needs, or at least trying to."

"Sean, I've never had a younger brother so I don't really know how they work." I let out a chuckle at that, waiting for him to continue. "But Daniel loves you. He really does. And I can tell you now, that kid appreciates what you're doing for him. He's just lost and confused at the moment. Everything has changed so suddenly and it's a lot to handle, especially for a nine year old."

"He looks up to you way more than he has ever looked up to me. You may as well be his brother instead of me."

"I can't deny that I'd love to be his brother. That kid is something special."

"Tell me about it."

"But I'm not his brother. You are. And believe it or not, he loves you way more than anyone else. He might get slightly attached to us, or me to be specific, because I'm someone new. A sense of escape from his fucked up mind. Especially when you're both fighting all the time. But he cares about you, sweetie. And you'll always be his number one, no matter how far you drift from each other. Just like I know how he will always be your most important priority. I respect that Sean. I wish my brothers looked out for me the same way."

"I just-" I sighed. "How do I know that I'm doing the right thing?"

"You don't. You just do what you think is necessary and it'll all pan out. Everything happens for a reason. You're not at fault for shit going wrong. You just do what you need to survive. Don't overthink everything Diaz."

Finn was right about one thing. It felt good to let my demons out to someone who cared.


	9. Chapter 9

19th October 2019

Finn spoke to me last night. We had a long, honest conversation about Daniel and I. He made me see that I was doing all I could and that it wasn't my place to decide how Daniel felt about it all. I just had to keep protecting him at all costs, no matter how much he resents me for it.

I appreciate Finn for listening to me. He's a cool guy.


	10. Chapter 10

Daniel and I started work today and it was probably one of the most stressful days of my life. Not because of the job itself. I was extremely grateful to have work in the first place so I wasn't complaining, but Daniel was.

I could sense the whole group getting sick of Daniel whining and I couldn't blame them. He was moaning and groaning the whole seven hours we were there and I was already on thin ice, receiving a warning from Merrill and Big Joe, his trusty sidekick, to control my brother or else. I needed to talk to Daniel but he was practically avoiding me, glued to Finn's side the moment we stepped off the truck back at the camp. Finn sent me a look that let me know he would sort it and it took some weight off my shoulders. Maybe it was a good thing that Daniel had another brother. He could handle the things I couldn't.

"Hey pretty boy. You alright?" Hannah grinned, throwing an arm over my shoulders.

"I guess."

"Great, you're coming to the store with Penny and I. We're running low on supplies."

Ah, Penny. He was a character. A fun, lovable, drug addicted goof who believed in one too many conspiracy theories, but that's what we loved about him. I regretted to admit that we hadn't spent that much time together over the past week of us living with them, but he was a really great guy. I liked him a lot.

"Sure thing."

The walk to the store consisted of Penny telling us another crazy theory about the president actually being a Martian, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it. That was until Penny got quieter, stopping his story halfway through.

"Penny? You good?"

He didn't answer me, just stating straight ahead. I couldn't see what he was looking at but I assumed it was one of the papers stuck on the window of the shop.

"Penny?" Hannah tried, but still nothing. I moved closer, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he flinched, my unexpected touch obviously taking him by surprise. He shook himself out of whatever daze he was just in and turned to face us.

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Lets just go inside."

He brushed past me to enter the shop, Hannah following after him with a shrug. I turned to where Penny was just looking, spotting a 'missing person' poster taped to the glass. On closer inspection, I noted that the missing person was in fact a young man named Arthur Lee. I was confused, seeing no resemblance of the two. Maybe Penny wasn't looking at the poster.

I had no time to think about it as Hannah dragged me inside to help them shop, but I made sure the name 'Arthur Lee' stuck in my mind.

~~~

It didn't take us long to get back to the camp, which was neither a good thing or a bad thing as Finn ran up to us the minute we arrived.

"Sean, you gotta come quickly. It's Daniel!"

He didn't have to say anymore as I could already sense he was in trouble. I followed Finn through the woods, my heart almost falling from my chest as I took in the scene in front of me.

Daniel was stood on an obviously unsteady branch on a rather tall tree, looking down at the river with no emotion. I had no idea what had happened, but I could tell he was either angry or upset.

"Daniel, what the fuck are you doing?!" I screamed, trying to hold myself together for the sake of my brother.

"You lied to me." He croaked, glaring at the water.

"What are you talking about enano? I haven't lied about anything."

I was beyond confused, unaware of anything I could've possibly done. I knew that Daniel and I weren't on the best of terms, but I knew for a fact I hadn't done anything else to upset the nine year old.

"I asked you why we couldn't go home..." he stated, taking one step forward. I copied his actions, taking two steps closer to the tree. He held up his hand to stop me.

"Come any closer and I'll jump." He warned and I froze immediately, not wanting to humour the idea of losing my baby brother like that. I still didn't know what was going on.

"Okay enano, come away from the edge and talk to me. What did I lie about?"

"Tell me Sean. Why can't we go home?"

I looked down, still not seeing any reason to tell him the truth. It would only hurt him more and would probably convince him to actually jump. I couldn't do that to him.

"You know I can't tell you that enano. You're too young to deal with that information."

"Why are you still not being honest with me?!" He screamed, finally making eye contact with me. He had tears running down his cheeks and it only just hit me how much I was hurting him by keeping this secret. Maybe more than I'd hurt him by telling him what actually happened back at home.

"Lil' buddy, calm down." Finn spoke up for the first time, voice shaky as he realised how close to the end of the branch Daniel actually was. I prayed he was just bluffing and that he wouldn't actually jump, but I couldn't be too sure.

"Don't talk to me. You're just as bad as him." Daniel hissed.

"What have I done?"

"You know what happened. I know Sean told you."

"I don't know shit." Finn replied truthfully, eyes going wide once he realised he had just sworn at a nine year old kid. That was the least of my worries. Daniel had heard far worse.

"I promise you Finn doesn't know a thing. I haven't told anyone." I reassured, but it only seemed to make matters worse.

"Is there anyone you actually tell the truth to?" He laughed, but it was a cold, lifeless laugh.

"Just come down from there and tell me what you want from me." I begged, willing to tell him anything if it meant he was safe.

"I want you to tell me what happened to Dad." He demanded. My eyes widened.

"How do you know anything happened to Dad?" I asked warily.

"I saw it in the paper. The front page was a picture of him titled 'Local mechanic Esteban Diaz in terrible accident'. That's why we ran, isn't it? Because dad died."

"He didn't die." I tried to say but even I wasn't convinced. The truth was, I had no idea what condition our father was in and I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know.

"Then why did we run? Just tell me!" He begged, voice young and broken. I glanced around, seeing all eyes on me. Finn and Hannah were watching with shocked, concerned expressions, obviously curious as to what had happened. I couldn't tell them. I couldn't tell anyone. What I knew... what I saw... was better kept quiet.

And that's why I found myself unwilling to give Daniel the answers he wanted, possibly ruining our relationship for good.

"I can't, Daniel. I'm sorry." I sighed.

"Fine." He huffed, climbing down the tree with ease. He stormed straight past me, shoving me harshly as he passed.

"Stay away from me. You are dead to me Sean Diaz."


	11. Chapter 11

26th October 2019

This was supposed to be a fresh start for the both of us but everything is going wrong. Daniel won't talk to me. He doesn't even want to know me. I deserve it for being such a shit brother.

He knows about Dad. He saw it in a paper. He doesn't know what happened and that's good enough. I'll have to deal with his absence if I want to protect him.

**Author's Note:**

> every other chapter will be a diary entry


End file.
